Clocks are going back – so our safe riding has to switch up a gear
An early reminder: the clocks go back by one hour at 2am on Sunday, October 26.
Good news is that it means we get an extra hour in bed on the Sunday… and a bit more light to ride to work or college in the morning.
It means we will probably be riding home in the dark, which makes us vulnerable as tired motorists start to make their own journeys home. Make sure you can be seen, wear something reflective.
Be prepared for that first Monday: on October 27, expect sunrise to be 7am in Manchester, and about eight minutes earlier in London.
But we’ll lose light in the evening, with sunset coming in as early as 4.45pm and getting about three minutes earlier every day until December 21.
So if you finish work or college at 5 it will definitely be dark for the journey home.
You can’t do anything about the loss of sunlight but you can make sure you stay visible – and that’s a huge part of keeping safe on the ride home.
What this means for bikers
Think visibility. Make sure headlights, brake lights and indicators are working properly, and give the glass casings a good clean to remove road muck so they shine brightly. Do the same with the reflectors. The more people can see us, the better.
Ditch the man or woman in black look
We need to think about our riding kit. Is it all black? If it is, does that make it easy for other road users to spot us? It doesn’t? Let’s do something about that.
If possible, think about upgrading biker gear to lighter colours. If that’s not possible, add reflector trips to arms and backs of jackets, and your legs. Add another to the helmet. The strips catch other road users’ headlights and light us up a treat, and anything that makes us more visible to others keeps us safe.
And on the bike…
Reflector strips placed low down on the forks can help catch dipped lights in poor visibility, and adding a strip to panniers or the rear carrier is another good idea.
What else?
It’s dark, so expect mistakes! Bikers get frustrated at having to dodge the errors of other road users, but smarter riding saves lives.
Cut out the risky manoeuvres. Ride slower, take extra care and stay sharp and focused around danger spots such as junctions, roundabouts and traffic lights.
At night car and van blind spots can be even bigger, so overtake only with extreme care. Watch out for drivers pulling into your path who haven’t seen you.
Remember that bike headlights can be harder to spot at night amid all the other lights on the road – and that’s particularly true when it’s wet; road spray can be another barrier to being spotted.
Never assume a driver looking to emerge from a junction has seen you. If there are a lot of lights behind a motorbike, its headlight can easily get lost in the background. As you approach a junction look for telltale clues the driver is about to emerge: the head going back against the head rest after he or she finishes their last checks, the wheels edging forward or turning slightly.
Finally, never let the stress of the working day or clogged up road cloud your judgement. Take your time, keep checking the danger spots and get home safely.